Next week, Shawn & I are attending a Church Planter Assessment Center through the Christian Reformed Church denomination. Part of our assignment was to read Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer. Up until starting this book, I had not done much research or reading on the subject of church planting. Here are a few of my take-a-ways:
1. The need for church planting in America.
When Shawn first brought up the subject of church planting to me, I honestly didn’t get it. Why would we start yet another church when there are so many? Why not get involved in a church, one that is dying, and help turn it around rather than start up a different church? I had a parish mind-set. Typically, a denomination will see no need for another church of the same denomination in the same area (parish). Many rural churches are dying out because the population is moving into urban or suburban areas, but no new churches are formed in these urban areas because of the parish mentality.
In the book, Stetzer includes the following statistic from the North American Mission Board,
In 1900, there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 2004, there were 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
Our population is increasing while our churches are dying out. New missionary-minded churches are needed in America just as much as we need to send missionaries into other countries.
2. This one isn’t very positive, but it’s honest. 🙂 While reading through the book, a few scary things stuck out to me.
First, the amount of WORK that it takes to start a church. There are so many aspects to consider and things to work through…forming relationships and reaching out to nonbelievers, mentoring new believers, training up new leaders to mentor, starting a children’s ministry, handling the finances correctly, creating bylaws, conducting follow-up with those who attend services, and the list goes on and on! I pray that when we are surrounded by all of these things, that we will not be caught up in the doing, but that our eyes will be focused on the goal that God is glorified.
Second, Stetzer said that, “core group members often leave the new start after launch day,” and “the bigger and more successful a launch service is, the more likely it is that core-group members may withdraw.” Oh, wonderful! Ok, not really. I think that would be a very hard thing to deal with, assuming that we, as a core group, will have put in a lot of sweat equity and built strong relationships with one another in the process of building the church.
Third, Stetzer talks about vision hijacking and said, “every church planter I’ve known has experienced an attempted vision hijacking within the first three years of the church start.” One more thing to add to my list of “difficulties/trials to expect”. (The list is getting kind of long, in case you were wondering.)
But God is good. I know that. We have seen God work out some pretty amazing things in the past few years. His sovereignty is such a blessing to us. Any trials that we go through will all be worked out together for the good of those He has called.
{ The Owlery } 
Thanks for sharing the thoughts that you had on Stetzers book. I came across your blog from surfing the tag inside of wordpress on Church Planting. Read your about page and am stoked others are looking to step out and plant Churches. My wife and I are still in the deciding stages as to if that is God’s call for our lives or if there is something else. God’s speed on yall’s journey and praying for the best and things to move forward in His timing.
Thank you for your encouraging comment, George. We wish you all the best as you and your wife are thinking about church planting. May God bless and use you both to glorify Him.